Let-off means for looms



A. J. HARRIS LET-OFF MEANS FOR LOOMS .Oct. 7, 1924.

Filed Dec. 29 1923 "WE/won,

WITNESS m n r M T. o a U N A Patented Oct. 7, 1924.

UNITED STATES ARTHUR J. HARRIS, 'OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

LET-OFF MEANS FOR LOOMS.

Application filed December 29, 1923.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. HARRIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Paterson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Let-Off Means forLooms, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a let-off mechanism for loomswhereby an equable tension will at all times be maintained on the warpand the goods woven will be free of blemishes characterized by irregularspacing of the weft or filling and due in the. ordinary loom to theemployment of slip-friction as a medium of resistance to the rotation ofthe warp-beam. Given an instrumentality to pull the warp forward and arotary warp beam structure. together with a support on which saidstructure is journaled, the invention contemplates an actuated means inthe support normally holding said structure against rotation under thepull of the warp but adapted to be moved to permit such rotation, anoscillating actuating means periodically engageable with the actuatedmeans to cause such movement of the latter, the part of one of saidmeans which is engaged by the other being shiftable into and out ofposition for such engagement, and means, normally maintaining a bend inthe warp between said instrumentality and said structure and yieldabletransversely of and with the warp when the latter tightens, forcontrolling the shifting of said part. It also contemplates, given suchinstrumentality, beam structure and support, means to control therotation of said structure in the direction to pay out the warpincluding a tension-beam extending transversely of and maintaining abend in and yieldable transversely of and with the warp, and means topreserve the firstnamed means during its movements with the axis of thetension-beam always substantially parallel to a given line.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a loom embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the mechanism constituting the invention; and

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of a part of what is shown in Fig. 1.

In the loom frame a is the breast beam Z) and a roller 0 over which thewarp A ex- Serial No. 683,349.

tends, the same at B having incorporated. with it the filling or weft soas to form the fabric. There is a suitable take-up means, hererepresented by a sand-roller (Z (having a ratchet e and a pawl f toprevent the backward rotation thereof). It is a going part of the loom,as its crankshaft, and h is an eccentric thereon.

Rearward of the loom is. a pair of standards i which. form a fixedsupport in which are journaled the gudgeons of the beamstructure 70.These gudgeons are actually j ournaled in forwardly and downwardlyinclined notches Z permitting the removal of the beam, as will appear.

The beam-structure includes as a fixed part thereof a worm-wheel m andwith this worm-wheel meshes a worm n fixed to rotate with av horizontalshaft 0 (by a setscrew 79) extending at right angles to and arrangedabove the axis of the beam and journaled in a bearing 9 on one of thestandards 2'. (The beam may be removed from its bearings by releasingthe set-screw p and rotating the worm until it clears the worm-wheel andmay be removed from shaft 0.) On shaft 0 is fixed a ratchet wheel r withwhich engages a pawl .s' pivoted in a lever t which is fulcrumed on theshaft 0. Parts n, 0, r, s and t constitute the aforesaid actuated meansnormally holding the beam structure against rotation under the pull ofthe warp and adapted to be moved, as by vibrating the lever t to causethe pawl to rotate the ratchet wheel and consequently the worm step bystep, to permit such rotation. The lever is nor mally held depressed bygravity, tending to rest on a screw stud 25.

The oscillating actuating means periodically engageable with saidactuated means to cause movement thereof here takes the form of afiatsliding bar or dagger a which is confined to a vertical plane ofmovement by a guide 1; on the side of the loom frame and at its forwardend has a strap a; which embraces the eccentric h; the upper edge ofsaid bar is at the rear end inclined to form a cam surface as shown inFig. 1 and is adapted, while the bar is being oscillated by theeccentric, to wipe against the under side of lever t and thus vibratethe same. The bar or dagger is shiftable up and down into and out ofposition as it oscillates thus to wipe against or engage said lever t,being normally held down, or out of such position, by gravity.

The means for controlling the shifting of the bar or dagger is asfollows: A tensionbeam 1 rests on the warp between the roller and thewarp-beam and tends to maintain a bend in the warp, as shown. On theends of its shaft 2 are fixed two pinions 2 which mesh with racks 3 onbrackets 4E projecting rearwardly from the loom sides, so that in thevertical movements of the tension-beam its axis is always preservedparallel with a given line and (it being assumed that the beam is androller 0 have their axes parallel with that of the tension-beam) thetensionbeam will thus preserve equal tension on all parts of the warptransversely thereof; (To prevent rubbing the warp, the tension-beam maybe freely revoluble on the shaft .2 between collars z thereon.) Theshaft is journaled at its ends in two slides .5 which have upper andlower pairs of rearward projections 5 inturned to embrace the racks 3(see Fig. 2) and thus retain the pinions in engagement with the. latter,each slide having suspended therefrom a weight 6-and the near slide inFig. 1 having an arm .5" (as shown in Fig. 2) on which is a groovedroller 5 to upwardly bear against the under side of the dagger a. c

When the loom is operating, shaft h being rotated, the dagger isoscillated. The beam structure normally tends to be held againstrotation to pay out the warp by the actuated means n0-r-st which remainsat rest (the lever resting on stud If) so long as the controlling meansincluding the tension-beam is not elevated to an extent suiiicient toshift the actuating means a into position to engage the lever butwhenever, the bend in the warp being taken up, this occurs, theactuating means actuates the actuated means and bring about the morementthereof necessary to permit the beam structure to rotate and thus payout 11 re warp, Each time there occurs a momentary paying out of warp,corresponding to an increment of advance of the ratchet wheel, thecontrolling means ,inainitains the tension on the warp, so that at alltimes the tension remains constant.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is 1. In combination, an instrumentality topull the warp forward, a rotary warp beam structure, a support on whichsaid structure is journaled, an actuated means in the support normallyholding said structure against rotation under the pull of the warp butadapted to be moved to permit such rotation, an oscillating actuatingmeans movable periodically into engagement with the act-u ated means tocause such movement of the latter, one of said meansincluding a camaffording such engagement and the part of one of said means which isengaged by the other being shiftable into and out of position for suchengagement, and means, normally maintaining abend in the warp be-' tweensaid instrumentality and said structure and yieldable transversely ofand with the warp when the latter tightens, for. controlling theshifting of said part. I

In combination, an instrumentality to pull the warp forward, a rotarywarp beam structure, a support on which said structure is jou-rnaled,actuated means in the support: normally/holding said structure againstrotation i under the pull of the warp but adapted to be moved to permitsuch rota-- tion, an oscillatingactuating means movable periodicallyinto engagement with the actuated means tovcause such movement of thelatter, one of said means including a cam affording such engagement andthe part of one of said means which is engaged by the other beingshiftable into and out of and normally held out of position for suchengagement, and means to shift said part into said position normallymaintaining a bend in the warp between said instrumentality and saidstructure and yieldabletransversely of and with the warp into shiftingengagement with. said part,

In testimony whereof I after my signature.

ARTHUR J. HARRIS.

